


We Are Far Too Young and Clever

by antpelts



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Horror, Blood, Camping, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Minor Character Death, Vomiting, background lindsay/meg, genre typical violence, more tags to come, no extreme gore but there will eventually be uncomfortable parts, some are about to graduate and some are in early college, summer shenanigans!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-03 05:24:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19457269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antpelts/pseuds/antpelts
Summary: For the second year the boys are ready to go on a camping trip on some unused land owned by the Collins. The younger boys are ready to live it up before they graduate the following week while the gents just couldn't leave their lads to have all the fun by themselves. Can Trevor own up about his feelings? Will Matt ever learn how to like camping? For once, could Michael not rile up Ryan's weird streak? Nothing's likely with these boys.





	1. Chapter 1

The heat was overbearing, sun too heavy and bugs too frequent, perfect conditions to draw a long whine from Gavin as he sunk himself lower into the pool. Hair floated around his head in a halo as Trevor observed him with a lukewarm coke in hand. He took a sip, sun on his skin, soda letting off condensation against his palm, a pang hit him as he took in the moment- just thinking about what the end of the summer would bring made his throat tighten. The surface of the water broke again as Gavin reemerged for air, but his ears were assaulted with a call to action as he watched Trevor’s lips shape into a grin.

“Incoming, idiot!” Michael’s voice was all but a screech as he disguised a tackle as a cannonball. A cannonball wasn’t grounds to get the boys booted from the Dooley’s place - a tackle on the other hand.. they couldn’t jeopardize the next few months when they hadn’t even actually graduated yet. Their annual boy’s trip hadn’t even come yet - a nice four day weekend of camping on Trevor’s family property. 

“Don’t you mean incoming idiot?” 

Trevor’s attention was directed to Ryan as he spoke, turning away from the action just in time to feel a cool spray of water to his side. Laughter bubbled in his chest, it was a moment he wished to stay in forever. Voices turned to murmurs as his head tuned again, ever so slightly, to catch Gavin haul his soggy self from the pool. Everything clung to him, suctioned from the water, hair hanging heavy in front of his eyes. The shake he gave himself drew an alarmed shriek from Trevor who hopped backwards towards the chairs in which Jeremy and Matt napped in. Shade from the porch roof made the concrete beneath his toes significantly cooler, sending a short-lived shudder through him as his damp skin lost the sun against it.

“Aw, c’mon. Don’t lead the wet idiots our way,” Jeremy’s voice was a tired plea as he sunk lower in his seat. “Reign dusky chaos anywhere but here.”

Michael’s head perked up and he led with a sharp ‘ay!’, followed by the jab of a pointing finger. “I’m no dusk boy, Jer! There’ll be no dusk here, ‘specially since Fredo’s not in town.”

“..fair.” 

* * *

Geoff and Jack were late, for once - well, at least they were going to be late. They were two towns over making one last run before they’d ride into town right to the meeting spot down the dusty road.

**BOY’S TRIP!!**

**gavino** _(10:00 am)_ : guys!!! where the f are you  
**jack p** _(10:01 am)_ : Walmart still, blame Geoff. He claims we need more firestarters  
**ryan** _(10:01 am)_ : shit that’s fair. last year we started running out of shit  
**jeremy** _(10:03 am)_ : at least get some bang while you’re there  
**trev** _(10:03 am)_ : AND DOGS!!  
**trev** _(10:04 am)_ : hot ones :/  
**michael boi** _(10:05 am)_ : D!!! H!!!! D!!  
**matt brank** _(10:10 am)_ : donuts  
**geoffrey** _(10:21 am)_ : oops we already left it seems  
**jack p** _(10:21 am)_ : Too little too late  
**jack p** _(10:21 am)_ : Be there at 11 boys!

Trevor sat up a bit and slid his phone into his back pocket before bracing his hands against his steering wheel and pushing back into his seat. His reward was a few satisfying pops up his spine, followed by a few cracks through his neck as he tipped his head to the side. It felt comfortable until a wave of warm air hit the right side of his face, causing him to crack an eye open. Immediately he was met with the sight of Gavin poking his head into the passenger side of Trevor’s car. 

“Pop the trunk, Treycs?” 

“Need help?” Before Gavin gave any answer Trevor was out of his car and in the brit’s driveway, scampering around the front of his car to grab the two camping chairs threatening to slip out from under Gav’s arm. He stood back, hauling them over to the trunk of his car before cramming them inside along his own bag and their tent. As he stood back, a hand settled on the open trunk, he watched Gavin’s frame as he leaned over to slot his backpack into the crowded trunk. As soon as he pulled his hands back Trevor closed it, angling himself to press his weight down on it, probably having filled it a bit too far.

“Think anyone will be on time?” Gavin spoke with a quirked grin as the two slid back into Trevor’s car, pulling a frustrated noise from the other - of course no one else was going to be on time, 11 was already an hour later than they were planning on getting to the Collins’ property. Gavin’s laugh squeaked out, almost more wheezed than anything as his face scrunched in amusement. The noise cut easily through the car as Trevor shifted out of park, covering up the drone of the radio.

“..a missing persons report issued for,” Gavin leaned back in his seat, tipping his head back as he recovered from his laughing fit. He cast his gaze on Trevor from the corner of his eye as he pulled his seat belt across his chest, watching his house disappear behind them.

“..last seen wearing a bright teal shirt,” Trevor couldn’t keep the smile off his face since the moment Gavin placed himself in his passenger seat. At least that was better than holding onto his deep frustration that the boys just couldn’t be on time to anything. He turned to plug his phone into the car at a stoplight, setting it in Gavin’s lap - a silent offer for the other to pick their soundtrack for the half hour trip.

The radio report was silent as soon as it had started and Gavin aimlessly scrolled through Trevor’s music library as peppy tunes filled their ears and Trevor took turns a little too recklessly. After placing Trevor’s phone back on his thigh he turned to his own phone, seeing a few alerts from Meg.

**turney**

**gavino** _(10:22 am)_ : yeah we’re finally leaving soon treycs is on his way  
**turney** _(10:43 am)_ : ooooooh! tevorrrr  
**turney** _(10:44 am)_ : a weekend of sharing a tent ;)  
**turney** _(10:47 am)_ : this year will be the year!  
**gavino** _(10:48 am)_ : cmon turn!!! hes literally next to me rn!!  
**gavino** _(10:48 am)_ : i have no idea what you’re talking about :/   
**turney** _(10:50 am)_ : seriously gav?? michael tells us how he looks at you  
**turney** _(10:50 am)_ : he JUST mentioned it last mario party night literally two days ago  
**gavino** _(10:51 am)_ : he just looks that way soft and nice  
**turney** _(10:52 am)_ : dont be dumb gav  
**turney** _(10:52 am)_ : he hangs on every word you say   
**turney** _(10:53 am)_ : he let you make pudding shirt dumbass!  
**gavino** _(10:56 am)_ : weve landed turney  
**gavino** _(10:57 am)_ : text you later

The road had gotten progressively bumpier as Trevor began to take them down the back roads, eyes intermittently flitting over to look over at Gavin who seemed to be more invested in his phone than usual. “Phone blowin’ up, Gav?”

“Oh, shit, uh - yeah. Just Turney,” Gavin tried to brush it off easily. “She’s a little minged to have to wait until our next Mario Party sesh.” The lie fell easily from his lips, likely because it wasn’t entirely a lie. Since summer was hitting they tended to increase the frequency of their game nights and with Michael and him being on their boy’s trip that left only Lindsay and Meg. He mused that perhaps the girls would have Fiona and Barb over the coming weekend for their own shenanigans.

“Damn, looks like I gotta turn around for Mario Party, yeah?” Trevor breathed a laugh as he pulled into a slight dirt inlet that backed up to the property, makeshift parking. As he smiled his face crinkled around his eyes, a soft tired look. “Can’t disappoint her, can we?”

“Hah! She can wait, I just lost miserably the other day I don’t mind a Mario break.” Gavin pulled his seat’s lever and leaned back a bit, knowing full well that the others would be at least another ten minutes. “Wake me when the decide to show.”

Trevor groaned upon the reminder that they were stuck waiting, crossing his hands behind his head, “Christ please let them get here soon.” While he wasn’t necessarily packing guns as intense as Jeremy’s biceps Gavin found enough to appreciate, it was absolutely more than anything he had. His eyes lazily drifted over Trevor’s upper body as he craned his neck to check behind them down the road. Gavin’s eyelids drooped slightly and he rested his hands against his stomach, finally pulling his eyes away from Trevor as his phone lit up once more.

**michael boi**

**michael boi** _(11:05 am)_ : should i tell ryan to just park down here  
**michael boi** _(11:06 am)_ : give you time to snog on treyco?  
**gavino** _(11:08 am)_ : michael!!!! did meg put you up to this????  
**michael boi** _(11:09 am)_ : maybe maybe not  
**michael boi** _(11:10 am)_ : jeremy says go for it  
**michael boi** _(11:10 am)_ : “trust me i know trevor”  
**gavino** _(11:11 am)_ : just get damn down here  
**gavino** _(11:12 am)_ : jack and geoff near too??  
**michael boi** _(11:14 am)_ : right behind us

As a soft rumbling came from down the road Trevor sat up a bit straighter, a look of relief washing over his face as the other cars pulled up. Ryan’s beat up sedan pulling up on their right, Michael leaning around Ryan to give Gavin a shit-eating grin. Jeremy did the same, peeking through the rear window to poke fun at the flushed Gavin. At least he could blame his redness on the warmth as Trevor turned off his car, cutting off the air.

Simultaneously Jack and Geoff pulled up on their left in their beat up pickup. Trevor quickly shut off his frustration, simply ready to get the show on the road. Careful as to not hit the pickup he squeezed out before circling to the back of his car. Gavin followed suit but instead of trailing Trevor he stepped towards Ryan’s car, making a face at Jeremy, a cross between pleading and frustration. He rolled his eyes as Jeremy squeaked out a gurgle-y noise, muffled through the window.

“Gav! Wanna help me grab shit?” Trevor had his own bag slung over his back and had their tent all packed up and held in his arms. With one last frustrated look at Jeremy, Gavin turned on his heel to half jog to Trevor’s aid. Jeremy and Michael shared a pleased look before slipping out of the car along with Matt and Ryan.

Supplies in hand, the boys all moved to the fronts of their cars. Checking and double checking everything was locked, they all gave one last look before stepping onto a barely trodden path to enter the property. Jeremy surged ahead, Ryan pressing on after him. Taking careful steps over branches Jack and Geoff trailed after, whenever there was a particularly obtrusive branch Jack touched a soft hand to Geoff’s back to direct him around it. Gavin followed after the two, Trevor keeping pace as Gavin giggled to him about what a married couple the two in front of them were. They even had their own apartment on their campus that the lads had visited, seeing their domesticity in action.

With a bemused glance backwards Michael pulled out his phone and took a grainy picture of Trevor and Gavin, close enough that their shoulders brushed. He sent it directly to a groupchat with Lindsay and Meg alongside a smug emoji. He even heard Matt offer an amused laugh behind him before the two of them quickened their steps a bit as to not fall behind. As the text sent Michael tucked his phone back into his pocket, failing to notice as his signal dropped.

“Boy’s trip 2019 is officially started!” Gavin squawked out a call, throwing a hand in the air, the other wrapped around his and Trevor’s camping chairs. A hop in his step made his backpack bounce and thump against his spine.


	2. Chapter 2

Nearly fifteen minutes into their hike everyone was beginning to get a bit frustrated, the shade was cutting the heat from the sun but the effort of trekking started the trickling of sweat. Most of the boys had the sense to keep their mouths shut and their complaints to muffled groans. They knew each other enough to know the first one to break would be relentlessly poked at, at least until they went to bed the first night. The order shook up a bit, Gavin began to pull ahead, steps almost becoming stomp-like with his tired frustration. Ryan decided to slow his steps, feeling the ache in his own legs, causing him to fall back to Michael’s side. The lad gave a grin and hooked his arms around one of Ryan’s, loosely hanging off him.

Matt reached back to tie his hair up loosely, annoyed from the sweat on the back of his neck as he picked up a bit to meet Jeremy in the middle of the group. They aimlessly discussed Pokémon Go, the two mumbling in annoyance about the lack of phone connectivity to waste some time on their games. Trevor briefly tuned in as he passed them, waiting a few minutes before he sped his pace to catch up to Gavin. He decided to check his own phone, he had a text from his mom, simply reading something about enjoying his trip. He felt a little bad, lying about exactly where they were going, but they’d done this before with no problem and it was only a few days. It was only a few days - they’d be back before they knew it. He did notice that he was also missing service but assume they’d get some closer to their makeshift site, they had last year, after all.

As he tucked his phone into his pocket he diverted his attention to Gavin, flashing a grin towards him. The pull on his face brought back the crinkles around his eyes, the look almost tired but wise for how young he was. Without any words Gavin’s face scrunched into an amused expression and his body looked tense with energy, before Trevor could process he hauled away, pulling a dramatic hop over a rotting log.

“Race, Treyco!” And he was gone in a flash - well as much as he could with two camping chairs on his person. He fumbled with them as he ran, moving one under each arm, providing a bit more balance. A look of confusion easily fell back to a wide grin, before picking up his own pace he slung the tent bag over his shoulder. With ever so slightly longer legs and more frequent workouts Trevor was handed the skills to start gaining on Gavin. The other was squirrely though and an amazing ability to get away. Gavin’s lack of general balance was on his heels though, his stumbling allowing Trevor to pass him, skidding into the hardly cleared clearing where they’d be setting up. He shook the tent bag off his shoulder and it clattered as his chest heaved, arms flying into the air triumphantly.

“I’ve done it!”

Gavin wheezed out a laugh as he staggered into the clearing, leaning down to drop the chairs beside the tent, sweaty palms moving to brace against his knees. “I had such a start, how’d you damn beat me?”

Trevor giggled, shrugging his backpack off before raising his arms, linking his fingers behind his head as he began pacing the clearing. He followed along the outer edge, slowing his breathing, pretending not to notice how Gavin’s eyes flitted to his biceps, he must just have been tracking motion. Regardless, a warmth fell over his cheeks, the faint idea that Gavin could have been looking brought a stir to his chest and he couldn’t stop a small smile from toying on his lips. In embarrassment from his longing he let his eyes fall, scanning over the brush as he slowly patrolled the edge of the clearing. As he was about to open his mouth the words died on his tongue, a flash of fabric catching his eye. How likely was it that anyone else passed through the property? He wasn’t sure. “Gav-”

In a moment his throat dried up and he coughed a choke, it wasn’t any old shirt. It was teal. Some decal was plastered across it, advertising some sort of charity run. His mind dug for the details, he’d heard this, he knew this. Eyes didn’t budge from the brown-red stain across one of the scrap’s edges. As the voices of the boys grew louder he seemed to kickstart into action, in a rush he hopped over some thick brush and began kicking the fabric. He knocked it into a slight ditch, scraping some dried leaves over it. Turning to return back to the clearing he met Gavin’s gaze, confusion bright in his eyes. Steeling himself, Trevor shook his head, waving a hand.

“Nothing - just thought I saw something. Just trash.” Gavin didn’t seem convinced but there wasn’t any reason not to trust Trevor, who was beating himself up mentally. How do you brush off evidence of a kidnapping case? Who did that?

Mind racing, Trevor had no clue of what to do. He’d already lied, anxieties filled him about backtracking, especially with the entrance of the other boys into the clearing. He didn’t want to ruin their trip - his brain hit back with, ruin? How could you ruin something with safety. His head was spinning so he crouched to retrieve the tent bag - hoping to busy himself. He felt as if he’d made his choice, either option making his stomach turn in fear. The property was huge, he’d argued with himself, the person had been missing for days at least, whoever it was - whoever they were with must’ve moved on. They couldn’t be lingering - right?

Instead of letting his mind linger Trevor kept himself busy with the tent, uncharacteristically silent. He began piecing together poles and sliding the tent across them, struggling to keep the structure together a bit before Gavin joined him. In a moment of understanding they stayed quiet, Gavin simply doing his best to keep what Trevor assembled in place as they anchored pieces.

The other boys were too preoccupied to pick up on the tension surrounding the two, Michael was practically hanging off Ryan as he tried to assemble their tent, a smug grin forming from his own antics. Noticing the antics Jack chuckled lowly, moving to help Ryan as he easily set up his and Geoff’s tent, easy enough with no distractions. Jeremy and Matt weren’t doing too great, batting each other with tent rods a bit more than doing any actual work - at least that sight brought a weak chuckle from his lips. It was only a few days, any danger must have passed already anyways. Right?

Sitting back on his heels he looked at their work - it was passable and easy enough to put up. It was small after all, likely so simple because it really was a tent made for one person. He and Gav just happened to be enough of twigs and comfortable giggling in the dark together that trying to find a bigger tent wasn’t a priority. A glance to his phone told him it was edging close to 1 pm and his stomach let off a growl, a sheepish expression crossing his face as Gavin giggled fondly. Before he could open his mouth Jack was moving to a hastily dug fire pit in the center of their tents.

“Sounds like it’s lunchtime,” he called to the rest of them, building the beginnings of a fire.

“Oh, thank christ I’m starving!” Michael groaned, draping himself over Ryan’s back as the man was leaned over, finalizing the anchoring on their tent.

In the meantime Trevor set about unlacing his shoes to crawl into their tent. After he was inside he stuck a hand back out the entryway, a silent request which Gavin answered easily, passing his backpack over. As Trevor pulled the sleeping bag away from where it was connected a rush of embarrassed heat flushed his skin - he’d forgotten his own sleeping bag. Opting for silence he laid out the single sleeping bag, unzipping it and unfolding it so that it covered the floor of the tent entirely. He was only briefly aware of the sound of the zipper coming further undone before Gavin was squeezing in next to him.

“What’s this?” There was no accusation in his voice, just simple confusion.

“Oh, uh, hah! I forgot my sleeping bag I guess. I supposed we could just open this up and share it. Since it’s been so warm I thought you wouldn’t want to be swaddled.” A shyness hung in his voice, worried that somehow that would be what pushed Gavin away.

“Shit, yeah man. Don’t worry about it,” the words were punctuated with a laugh that filled the air with warmness and for the first time in the past hour Trevor felt relaxed. 

The two unpacked a bit more, opting to load both of their clothes into Trevor’s bag and swapping snacks and more daily essentials into Gavin’s. The logic being that when they explored a bit in the day they wouldn’t have to worry about hauling two seperate bags for the next three days. Once everything was packed away Trevor leaned back with a sigh, his back rested against the sleeping bag, knees bent with feet resting on the ground. He supposed food would be at least another ten minutes and would rather take advantage of the quiet moment.

“Trev,” Gavin started with a breathy mention of Trevor’s name, flopping down alongside him. The soft call of his name drew his attention, turning his head Trevor found himself face to face with Gavin. The closeness was more than he expected, he felt Gavin’s breath on his face. To save himself he quickly pulled a face, hiking his eyebrows up before collapsing into a laugh, enough cover to turn his head back, eyes on the ceiling of the tent.

“Trevor,” Gavin started again, his own face warm enough to cause him to turn as well. “D’you think-” the words were interrupted as Jack called for lunch and the two laid for a moment before Trevor rolled into a sit.

“Thank christ,” he hummed with almost annoyance as his stomach let another long growl. Gavin let off a slight laugh, an almost nervous ring in it but Trevor didn’t have the capacity to dig into that currently. All his focus was on rolling out of the tent and shoving his shoes on so that he could give a half jog towards the campfire where a few hotdogs were cooking. Moments later Gavin wandered over himself, on the quieter side for once. 

* * *

Full and content the boys fractured a bit, Matt and Jeremy opted to lounge in their tent, tapping away on a Switch whos battery absolutely would not last, they could enjoy Mario Kart for the time, at least. Jack and Geoff opted to walk themselves down to the stream which rested down the hill and before long Ryan opted to join them - hoping to shake off some ever-present stress. Michael decided to opt for Matt and Jeremy’s tent, preferring to lean on his lazy streak and not explore anything for the first day.

That left Trevor and Gavin to themselves; five total was too much for the Switch and too many for one tent. They also didn’t care to intrude on whatever moment the gents were sharing, having not gone to college yet they were sure there would be parts of conversation where they would fall flat. What else was there to do but explore a bit, it was only pushing half past two after they’d eaten and socialized - there was plenty of day left.

“Should we see if there’s something crazy to do out here?” Trevor was looking off into the trees, slight grin showing on his face. “Climb a tree like some idiots?”

Gavin just let off a laugh, nodding as he raised a hand to his mouth, muffling his squeaks. All he could do was nod, face lit up in excitement - glad that Trevor was always ready for any dumb thing Gavin could think of. They could build off of each other, more so than Gavin could with any other person.

And Trevor just couldn’t help himself - if the prize was Gavin’s laugh clear in his ears then he could stretch his limits. So they set off, Trevor trailing after Gavin as he ran from tree to tree, testing his weight on various branches that hung over their heads. It all was enough to keep Trevor’s paranoia at bay - to an extent, he still paused to cast a look over his shoulder when they found a sturdy enough tree.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's where it starts to pick up, warning for death and gavins weak stomach (no major characters) nothing too gross either. doubled my chapter length too, oops.

Watching Gavin haul his mess of limbs up the tree had its perks, simply just existing alongside the other was enough for him. The woods were quiet around them; Trevor sought comfort in the fact the others weren’t able to intrude, but now that it was only those two he felt an anxiety bubble in his chest - could he protect Gavin, need be? He then gave his head a shake, why would there even be a need? There was no need to panic.

There was only a need for Trevor to steel himself and brace a foot against the trunk in an attempt to begin an ascent. He forced the nerves down, further down and filled his chest with his heartbeat as Gavin grinned at him from above. Oh, how would he ever manage to keep his knees steady with Gavin peeking down from his perch like that. Releasing the branch he let himself slide back down, feet scraping against the trunk until he landed back on the packed dirt a few feet below. With a playful kick against the trunk Trevor took a few steps bad, carding a hand through his hair.

“Oh - you  _ dog _ !” That much made Gavin laugh as Trevor pointed a finger up towards him. He scoured around for a particularly long stick, the width of it becoming hard to balance as he slowly lifted it. “You can run but you can’t hide!”

It was far too comfortable and while it made Trevor’s heart soar it also weighed him down, this was friendship, wasting time in the dumbest way. Gavin looked down on him, laughing the whole time that Trevor awkwardly swung the branch his way. It was too heavy to be properly waved, its weight kept pulling it back down, threatening to bring Trevor down with it as he stumbled. Soon Gavin was sliding down, losing any grace he might’ve had as limbs flew between branches to assure him a safe descent. Grabbing a stick of his own he charged towards Trevor who  _ may have  _ yelped a bit in shock, dropping his branch and sprinting a few feet away. “No  _ impaling _ !”

Half past two melted into half past three beneath that tree, Trevor forgot everything except the feeling of sweat down his back and the sound of Gavin heaving breaths as they chased each other around. He didn’t want to leave, he didn’t want to acknowledge the passage of time. He almost wanted to cry, maybe indulging was taking its toll, he was at Gavin’s beck and call and it put a tiredness in his eyes. The attachment only grew as he participated not only for fun, but out of fear that Gavin would turn to someone else. Trevor Collins was an anxious mess.

Anxieties aside, half past three became close to four and they pressed a little further into the brush. The creek that the gents must be relaxing by ran around in a curve, a wide half-circle around their site. It was too tempting. Gavin made that much obvious as he flashed Trevor another grin, a wordless request to race. The two veered more to their right where the creek widened and deepened into a sort of pond and as they passed an invisible threshold Gavin broke into a sprint. His mad dash was soon over and instead he began to rip off his shoes and socks. Trevor imagined how warm the pebbles must have felt against Gavin’s skin, absorbing the sun as the trees and brush cleared into something resembling a shore. The thought was enough to shock him back into thinking, his pace had slowed - he hadn’t budged in a good minute, what kind of race was this?

Surging forwards he skidded over pebbles as Gavin was already kicking off shorts. The final piece of clothing to hit the ground with a soft noise was his shirt, tugged harshly over his back. Trevor was struggling out of his shoes as he observed Gavin’s back and  _ oh god _ he was going to lose his cool. The lad’s hair was a mess from the rush and clad only in boxers he ran into the water. The sight would be in Trevor’s head for weeks to come; it left his knees weak as he pushed shorts over thighs, barely keeping himself steady. In the moment his vision was blocked by pulling off his shirt he missed Gavin turning around to watch him. Missed how his gaze lingered over Trevor’s chest, broader than Gavin’s, arms still lanky but with enough of a bicep muscle to drive a want into someone. As sunlight hit Trevor’s vision once more a crazy grin cracked over his face, face crinkling in the most endearing way as he took Gavin in. There may have been less muscle but Trevor felt entranced as he waded into the water, not by anything like lust - a simple happiness flooded him. 

Gavin’s chest was flat where most of the boys held muscle but it was flat by choice, two faded scars hiding under the beginnings of chest hair. Trevor just felt so blessed that Gavin was so comfortable around him, all he wanted to do was spread whatever positive feeling he could.

“If we get leeches I  _ swear  _ I’m going home immediately.” Gavin pulled a face, sticking his tongue out a bit before stretching arms down to run fingertips through the water that covered his thighs.

“Oh! Now you’ve got me  _ thinkin’  _ of it Gav,” Trevor’s voice was just a whine and he waded a little closer, the water not reaching quite as high on him. “You damn -  _ gahhhh _ !” A mixture of real frustrations at the mere thought and his playful attitude manifested in the same exasperated noises he’d cry out in games; it was usually followed with the frantic movement of his in-game character. There was something so shamelessly  _ Trevor  _ about it. He mimicked his own gimmick, being a bit of a  _ freak _ , and sticking his hands in the water before pushing a wave towards Gavin. The shallowness meant that even the push only sent water up to his belly button but he couldn’t help but lose it, nearly doubling over in laughter. It lulled Trevor into lowering his guard, wading a few steps closer, shivering as the cold inched up his thighs.

That would be the least of his worries as Gavin sprung at him, laughs still squeaking past his lips as he jumped a bit. Wrapping an arm around the nape of Trevor’s neck he attempted to pull the other down into a weak headlock. Trevor let out his own dramatic shriek as he twisted, arms wrapping around Gavin’s middle and  _ yanking _ . He was able to tug the boy away and used his weight to drag them down to their knees. Or at least that’s what he attempted; Trevor’s body crumpled under Gavin’s sudden weight, even if it wasn’t much, and he fell back on his ass. They tumbled together and Gavin slid, catching himself on his arm to keep his head above the water. Ripples washed around them, now reaching their necks and threatening to soak hair as they strained towards the boys’ faces.

“Shit!” Trevor all but squealed, sitting up straight enough to attempted for his own headlock now against Gav, thoroughly wet arm pressing on the back of the other’s neck.

“Not fair! You’ve got longer arms!” Gavin thrashed a bit, kicking up water that sprayed back onto their faces. In an effort to spare his eyes the questionable water Trevor tumbled back, releasing Gavin who followed the movements in an attempt to win control. This led to their fingers locking as Trevor blocked him, catching his hands. The two fought like that for a bit, palms pressing together in an effort to push the other back and as Trevor began to overpower him Gavin called for a truce. “Treyco! Don’t push me under Treyco!”

Trevor couldn’t help but melt for it, though he had to admit he was generally soft for anyone; no one was more eager to please than him. He lightened his push and their hands lowered a bit; instead of being next to each other, in front of their faces their arms drooped, falling to their sides, fingers slowly slipping apart. “Alright, alright, I’ll spare you.”

There was no good reason for his voice to fill the air between them as softly as it did, they were too close and Trevor fought to keep his eyelids from drooping. Gavin simply cracked a lopsided grin and they sat there together, water wrapped up around their shoulders. A cloud passed overhead and a shiver ran down Trevor’s spine from the lack of the sun. Their phones stayed abandoned buried in their clothes but Trevor had to guess it was pushing close to six now. Regardless, his stomach growled, it was time to head back.

“Dinner time?”

“Christ,  _ please _ ,” Trevor huffed out a chuckle and rose to his feet, offering his hand to Gavin who he easily pulled up after him. In the interest of being a bit decent Trevor tugged on his boxers a bit where the water made them cling to him, pulling them apart from wet skin. He shook off a bit and walked in a semicircle, hoping the warm pebbles would help his feet from being too damp before he pulled shorts over wet boxers and tugged shoes over damp feet with no socks. He simply held his shirt and socks with his phone in his hands, wanting his back to dry off a bit. 

There was no racing this time, Gavin simply did the same as Trevor with his own clothes, walking with a brisk pace to reach Trevor’s side. The silence settled comfortably over them as they stepped over brush and branches the air was cooling just slightly, the humidity fading slowly. Trevor’s lips twitched as he urged himself to say something, tucking his phone into his pocket and socks into the other so he could pull his shirt over his head. The clearing started to come into view and he saw Gavin’s movement from the corner of his eye as he did the same; it wasn’t out of decency but out of comfort. There was trust between the boys but Gavin yearned for the security of his shirt.

“You wanna change first? I’ll give you the tent.” Always the gentleman Trevor stepped into the clearing and headed towards the fire Ryan was putting together as Jack dug through the food for something passable. He decided on soups, pulling a few cans out as Trevor crouched by Ryan. The warmth was uncomfortable but it helped dry him off.

“Have a good time, bud?” Ryan’s voice caught Trevor off guard and he sputtered a bit. The tone was absolutely not innocent.

“You too?! Ryan,” the name was a drawn out whine, “what’s Jeremy been telling you?”

“A battle buddy never tells,” Ryan hummed in response, his smirk widening as Jeremy was practically summoned by the name, flopping into a camping chair behind Trevor. Their laughs played off each other and Trevor’s face reddened; it wasn’t from the heat. Nervously he glanced back to the tent Gavin was in, it looked far enough and he let his shoulders relax.

“Listen, blame Matt, pal, he’s got way looser lips than I do.” Trevor wasn’t sure that was true but he shifted around to shoot Jeremy a look, disbelief obvious on his face. Though he did believe Matt would say  _ something _ .

“Myatt,” it was instinctual almost, quiet under Ryan’s breath and it drew a bark of a laugh from Jack who was making his way over to start the food. However, Trevor’s attention fell on Gavin instead as he emerged from the tent and gave a sharp smile, the only signal he needed to pull himself to his feet and switch places with the lad. He was itching to get into something fresh and put some food in his stomach. Kicking his shoes off he crawled into the tent, careful not to press himself against too much in there, lest he get it wet. That would be unpleasant. 

As he closed the zipper behind him he swore he heard Gavin hiss a sharp curse at Michael and a curt “stop it!” but he was just overanalyzing. Just because he was being teased about a crush didn’t mean shit, Michael fucked with Gavin all the time and that was obviously the most likely scenario. He pushed himself into a slight disappointment as he tugged off damp clothes, mopping the last of the wetness from his skin with his dirtied shirt. Good enough. Clean boxers were tugged over pale thighs, followed by basketball shorts - might as well be ready for sleep. Finally a loose shirt came over his head, a designated sleep shirt, categorized for its stretched collar that showed off almost  _ too much  _ collarbone. To let his shoes dry Trevor dug a pair of crocs he’d stored away and after a second thought paused to get some socks. He did  _ not  _ want bug feet (whatever  _ that _ meant in his head). 

Finally set Trevor tugged on the tent’s zipper and slid out, crocs squeaking as he walked towards the boys. Jeremy had disappeared, likely making a bathroom trip and Ryan was sitting further from the fire now, talking lazily with Geoff over bowls of steaming soup. Jack was busying himself with cleanup, returning some things to his tent. At his arrival Michael’s head snapped up while his mouth snapped shut. Matt was looking down, glasses reflecting the flicker of the fire. Gavin simply buried himself in his soup; Trevor felt like an intruder suddenly and gingerly approached the group. He collected his own bowl before settling into a camping chair. It felt like it was placed at a respectful distance - not to mention far enough from the brunt of the fire’s heat.

“ _ Trevor _ , what the fuck.” Jeremy’s arrival settled the tension and Trevor perked up, a playful defensiveness about him.

“What, damn Jeremy?” Nothing anyone said around here made grammatical sense anymore. Though it wouldn’t come as a surprise as ‘hummus’ was a frequently misspelled word in their last  _ Jackbox  _ night.

“Those..fuckin’ crocs!” Trevor wiggled his feet around, sticking a spoon of warm soup in his mouth amused by Jeremy’s indignance. The green was bright on his feet as he raised his them high enough for the fire to illuminate them. “That’s like the  _ shittiest  _ green.”

“Hey! Back off the crocs!” He swung his leg, pointing a foot threateningly in Jeremy’s direction who simply rolled his eyes and dissolved into laughter, grabbing his own bowl before finding a spot in the almost-circle.

The night rolled on quietly and comfortably until Jack and Geoff retired to their tent around nine; a few quips about being old were thrown after them. No one challenged it though, knowing the boys had gotten up early to run some errands before coming into town. Ryan broke off barely under an hour later, grumbling unintelligible complaints as he did.

“Back probably hurts, old bitch,” Michael snorted but he rose to his feet all the same. His eyes softened and he gave Gavin a shove as he passed, cackling before jogging to nip at Ryan’s heels. Trevor watched the lads hands settled onto Ryan’s shoulders from behind as he leaned slightly into him before they disappeared into their tent - he felt like he was intruding.

“Bloody headache, gonna turn in.” Trevor barely caught it, his attention turning to Gavin as he was already up and creeping away, quietly tucking himself away into their tent. He decided to stay put, he felt a wave of anxiety wash over him. Maybe Gavin needed  _ space _ . 

“ _ Trev _ ,” Jeremy’s voice reached his ears - it sounded almost exasperated. “How long are you gonna let this just.. sit.” Sit. He settled on sit and Trevor felt it was appropriate. In every way Trevor simply sat beside Gavin, trying to keep his space but staying ever present.

Matt kept his mouth shut, he looked tired. Trevor could appreciate that and heaved a sigh, bending so that his head hung. Elbows pressed into his thighs and he dragged hands over his face. At least Jeremy was keeping his voice down.

“Forever! I - I don’t know,” his voice was a tense whisper, shaking a bit. He took a shuddering breath and braced himself. “As long as I want.”

“Trevor..I - we just,” a pause. “Just watching you it feels miserable. I can’t imagine how you must be feeling and how you just let it go on.”

“You!” A sudden harshness entered Trevor’s whisper and he sat up, a bit too quick, reeling a bit. “You have no idea how I feel. I’m happy where I am and you guys are just in my business.” When had he gotten to his feet?

Jeremy kept his mouth shut and just settled his gaze on the fire, letting Trevor step away from the conversation without a protest. Trevor would reconnect with him when he was ready. He wasn’t on Gavin levels of pushy but Jeremy was aware he could be a bit much.

Silently, Trevor padded to the tent, he pulled the zipper as quietly as he could and then shook his crocs out before pressing them into the corner of the tent along with their bags. He swore he’d heard Gavin shifting around restlessly as he’d approached but the other appeared to be asleep now, curled in on himself. Paying no mind Trevor fit himself into the remaining space on the opened sleeping bag. A plush hoodie served as a pillow and he lay there on his back, staring at nothing. The heat started to bug him - what could he expect, there was barely a foot of space between him and Gavin. Their body heat mixed and Trevor was sure his cheeks were flushed. 

In an effort to release more of the heat from his skin he stretched his arms out, he felt a light brush from Gavin’s hair as he did. Once he settled, though, there was still a few inches between the closest parts of them and Gavin was turned away, anyways. It seemed to be enough and he dozed off easily. 

The sun woke Trevor, it must have been late morning. Rays of light cut through the material of the tent, casting across the two bodies. His arm was asleep and it sent a rush of panic through him, it was too warm. Gavin was curled into his side, back to him, head on the edge of Trevor’s forearm. How cliche, how dumb, Trevor’s face burned. As slow as he could, he pulled arm from under Gavin’s head and swapped shirts for something less old and stretched. In record time he was hopping out of their tent and kicking his shoes on; it was going to be a long day.

He had to take it in stride. He ran fingers through his hair, flattening it it just enough before approaching where last night’s fire had been. It was full of ash and Trevor simply sunk into a seat. Matt looked half asleep in a chair across from him.

“Gents went fishing, Michael tagged along. They’ll be gone until.. dinner I’d bet. Jack left sandwiches in the cooler.” Simple, to the point. Jeremy would be asleep still, he wouldn’t be surprised if he drank last night, his own secret stash. It would last if no one else knew about it. He didn’t pry, though, sitting in silence with the other as the sun warmed their bones. Trevor fell back asleep as he sunbathed, sinking into his chair as his head lolled to the side. At least he had been asleep until a soft ruckus woke him, it must’ve only been twenty minutes. 

“Treycs, Matt Brank,” Gavin’s voice cut through the air. He sounded normal, more normal than the night before. Trevor supposed everyone just needed some sleep, himself included. “Anyone wanna come with, I wanted to explore a bit, spot wildlife, snag pictures maybe.” He waved his phone in his hand before he powered it back on.

“I’m waiting on Jer to wake up, might be a bit.” That left Trevor who simply hauled himself to his feet. A smile lit up his face but the creases seemed more tired as they bunched around his cheeks and eyes.

“Suit yourself - Trev and I’ll go then.” Matt simply waved his hand before slouching back into his chair. Trevor, gave himself a shake, trying to wake himself back up as he trailed Gavin to the edge of the clearing.

“Alright, let’s move it then, Gav. Ain’t gonna explore itself,” he spoke as his eyes scanned the woods. He tried to ignore how close their hands were - fingers twitching at his side before closing into a loose fist. How  _ did  _ he feel?

* * *

Time flowed around them slowly, Gavin was perched on a log, knees bent as he strained to look through the brush, laughing as the toad flung itself away. They hadn’t had much luck - no deer or anything, but Trevor was content enough. Any other thought slipped away from him and he stepped onto a tree trunk, one foot stuck out and he balanced for a second before hopping down. A twig snapped under his shoes upon his impact and the sound brought him back out of his mind, smiling.

“Anything look good so far?” While the wildlife was sparse there was greenery and the sun poking through leaves. That could be enough for a nice picture, he mused, of course he did. It was a nice enough picture to him, watching Gavin slowly tread ahead. Stray rays of sun circled him greenery poking up beside him. It was the prettiest picture he’d ever seen.

“Nah, nothin’ yet.” 

Nothing. Nothing is what filled Trevor’s head as he stopped dead in his tracks. No words, no thoughts, no breathing. He wanted to scream, yell, it felt like he was submerged and he was too slow. Gavin wasn’t looking as he tossed his gaze back to Trevor as he spoke. It was easy to watch as Gav’s expression switched from a toothy smile to panicked confusion, at the same time he made a misstep and fell forward amongst the green.

“ _ Fuck _ ,” was all Trevor managed, fingers trembling as he lurched into action so quickly it made his head spin. “Fuck fuck fuck.” 

What more could he say?

A pair of legs stretched out from under some particularly dense plants,  _ that’s  _ what Gavin had tripped over. No one would be napping out here, there was nothing in the world Trevor could make up to comfort Gavin. The skin was so pale, there was no life there; the face was obscured but Trevor could tell, the teal shirt said it all. It was as if they were hastily buried dirt around their upper body. Something had disturbed them, perhaps the weather, or wildlife. Soft dirt covered the ground, not fresh but moved enough to have been covering the body. His stomach rolled - if only they’d left yesterday.

“Don’t.. don’t,” Trevor spun around, arms shot to Gavin’s shoulders all too tenderly, placing himself between Gavin and the body. “Don’t look, don’t..” His voice was weak, as weak as his fingers, twisting into Gavin’s shirt. His eyes were frantic and he moved his body to try and keep Gavin looking at him, even if it was too late. 

In a flurry of limbs Gavin scrambled to his feet, stumbling backwards. Trevor watched his eyes flick around and he wished he could have kept him from looking. He just wanted to  _ protect  _ him. A wave of guilt ran through him as he watched Gavin turn and gag, crouching back down to steady himself. Positively trembling Trevor shuffled over across plants and dead leaves, his knees itched as he dragged them over the ground. He could almost cry - but Gavin looked so small and Trevor knew he had to do  _ something _ .

“Trevor.. I,” a gag interrupted his words and he hunched over, lips trembling. The smell hit them both suddenly and Gavin retched. Trevor turned his head away as he felt shoulders shake beneath his fingers. “ _ God  _ what do we do Trevor?”

Always so quick to cover everyone, from last minute homework answers to a place to crash instead of going home drunk, that’s who he  _ was _ . Trevor took care of the boys as best he could and it made him  _ happy _ . But now, here he was, knees raw against the ground and hands gripping the back of Gavin’s shirt while the other dry heaved. This time he didn’t have an answer - no tricks up his sleeve, all he had were tears welling in his eyes.

“I.. Gavin I don’t know. I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” Leaning forwards he pressed his forehead to the other’s back, squeezing his eyes closed. At least he was right about one thing, he had Gavin, refusing to let him go, it was all he could do. “Let’s go, let’s go back.”

“I wanna leave,” Gavin’s words were all but a breath as he rose to shaky feet, as the distance grew between them Trevor’s fingers were pulled from the material. All Trevor could do was follow, all but jumping to his feet, knees knocking. Protective hands settled over Gavin’s body, braced against the small of his back, the other touching his shoulder as he began steering him. turning his back to the body put a slight fear in his heart, it was almost like he was scared it would get up and grab them. He ignored the fact that the body meant that there was something that  _ could  _ get up and grab them. Somewhere.

“We’re gonna go back - we’re gonna go back and find the guys,” Trevor sounded like he was reassuring himself, adding more pressure to the small of Gavin’s back to urge him faster. They stumbled through low plants and over fallen logs, covering ground the best they could. 

As they scrambled they saw the clearing come into focus. All that lay between them was a hill they had to slip down. Trevor’s feet froze and a hand shot out in front of Gavin’s stomach, all but hauling the boy backwards, into his own body. The silence was too perfect - the silence terrified Trevor. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings for blood death and vomit - nothing to crazy more vaguely talked about. absolutely was inspired by the show the end of the fucking word during this part. (if ur seeing this i updated the last scene of this chapter the next morning so! check that out)

It seemed too quiet. He hadn’t expected the boys to come back from fishing yet, the sun still rode high in the sky.. but.. But Matt and Jeremy were nowhere to be seen. Unless they were napping then something was wrong. There was no way Jeremy was getting Matt out into the woods for _fun_. It would be funny if it wasn’t terrifying. He could feel Gavin’s eyes on him - confused and swimming with panic. 

“Careful.. it just feels off.” The words were only a whisper and they tumbled off his lips, shaking. His hand slid away from Gavin’s stomach, his other arm still behind him, settled firmly on the small of his back. They moved together slowly, inching carefully down the slope. As a wave of dirt ran down, disturbed by their feet, they winced - too much noise. Reaching the bottom they took short steps towards the clearing, not really wanting to see what was there. Or what _wasn’t_ there.

No smoke rose from a fire. Tents remained, untouched. There was no sign of Matt or Jeremy, it was too quiet - the only noise was the breeze through leaves. With a bit of hesitation Trevor’s hand left the small of Gavin’s back, making his way towards Matt and Jeremy’s tent. Pausing his movements he watched how Gavin’s arms wrapped around his middle, nearly doubling over as he paced the edge of the clearing. He had to look away as he heard dry heaving again. A swift pull brought the tent’s zipper down and what Trevor was met with drove a cold terror into him. There was nothing there. What were they going to do?

There was no way they could leave the boys - with no way to reach them they would be at risk. The only idea he had was staying put but that terrified him, he felt like a sitting duck. How could he fend anyone off? It wasn’t like he didn’t trust Gavin, but he was fairly sure that if one of them needed to do the fighting it’d be himself. Could he protect Gavin?

As he zipped up the tent he heard Gavin’s feet shuffling around, he approached the firepit with its ring of chairs. A surge of protectiveness washed over Trevor and he took quick steps to place himself at Gavin’s side - maybe he was paranoid. (He was paranoid). Confusion plagued him suddenly as he watched Gavin reached down to grab a scrap of paper off of one of the chairs, weighed down by a small rock.

“On a walk. Headed in the direction of Ryan and Michael’s tent. You’ll see us if you walk that way.” Gavin’s voice was steadier now, he’d had a chance to collect himself, slightly. At the very least his stomach had settled some and he wasn’t retching into bushes. A flash of understanding crossed Gavin’s vision as Trevor met his eyes. Trevor knew that Gavin knew that he had no idea what to do - both of them were well aware of the fact that Trevor’s feigned control was, well, feigned. Gavin’s arm briefly settled on Trevor’s shoulder and he felt as if he could collapse then and there and beg to just be _done_. “I’m.. I’ll grab my bag. You brought a pocket knife, yeah?”

“Yes. Yes I have it, I’ll..” In an effort to pretend he had any coherent ideas he looked around. Of course neither of them were hungry but Trevor thought of the worst and took quick steps towards Jack and Geoff’s tent, rooting through the cooler. There were only two sandwiches left, Jeremy and Matt likely planned on being gone most of the afternoon. Grabbing the last two he held them up as Gavin was already striding towards him, saddled with his backpack. Wordlessly he pivoted as they met halfway and Trevor reached to unzip the bag and slip the sandwiches inside. “I’m gonna put better shorts on and grab my pocket knife.”

Basketball shorts weren’t ideal if you were terrified you might have a chase through the forest. Especially if his pockets were going to be weighed with his phone and knife, he needed something that would hold. Their clothes had gotten a bit jumbled since Gavin had tore his backpack from the tent with little care, flinging everything around. Trevor could almost laugh, a soft affection hung heavy in his chest. As he picked out some gray shorts Gavin’s salmon shorts tumbled out after and that time he couldn’t help but smile. He never caught any slack about the damn things.

After emerging he took care to close the tent behind him, a detail only he could care about in a situation like this. Pocket knife was tucked into his right pocket, phone into is left. The extra weight felt odd on his left side but he’d rather have the knife more accessible to himself. When he looked up he saw Gavin’s eyes settle on him and he gave a weak smile as he made his way towards him. Now that they both had a bit more of a grip he kept his hand to himself. It was easier to let his hand linger on Gavin’s spine when the other man was barely able to keep his knees steady. There was still a fear reflected in his eyes but their legs were stable now and Trevor kept his hands to himself as they headed passed Ryan and Michael’s tent. The greenery was a bit sparse already, but he could see how it had been slightly trampled. It was the right way.

It was too quiet, soft birdsong accompanied them but it wasn’t enough. However, it wasn’t like Trevor could just crack a joke and have Gavin squeaking with laughter. The other had something serious about his face as he passed Trevor and walked forward, like a train on a track. It broke his heart a bit, this was a vacation, a last hurrah of high school before they graduated (well, for most of them) and now _this_ happened. This wasn’t something he could fix with a smile and well-intentioned quip - this was big.

The weight of his phone as he walked was frustrating, it was useless without any connection; all it did was remind him how close help really was. Besides, without any evidence of _how_ Trevor was more concerned with rounding up his boys before trying to run away. Really, he was almost surprised at how easily Gavin stuck with him. They hadn’t spoken at all but there was an understanding between them and Trevor couldn’t help but feel proud in a way. Gavin wasn’t the worst he could be but he could shut down, especially if it was _gross_ , he wouldn’t even look at wet bread. The fact that he tripped over a dead body and _kept going_ spoke volumes to Trevor. Of course he was proud. Proud.. and grateful that he wasn’t alone.

Time dragged on, it felt too long. Far too long. The sun slid lazily through the sky but it was entirely too low for an afternoon walk; they _had_ walked straight, hadn’t they? The thought brought new anxieties to Trevor’s head, if they were right then something had to have happened to Matt and Jeremy. He hoped he was wrong, more than anything he wanted it to simply go away with a snap of his fingers. Gavin was silent, Trevor dared not to voice his concerns, the other’s face was already falling flat. Unreadable. It wasn’t often one would see Gavin Free shut down in such a way. It was intimate in a way and all Trevor wanted was to reach out and grab him - too pull him close and just _hold_ on.

Trees stretched on further and further and Trevor was certain something went wrong. The _what_ escaped him, all he knew was that it wasn’t right. The green was endless and a feeling built up in the pit of his stomach. Would it be wrong to turn around? He just didn’t know and he was worried that if he opened his mouth no sound would come out. So they pushed on, Trevor just blocked out the dread that grew with each of his steps. They’d run into something eventually, at least, or at least he told himself that.

* * *

Trevor was roused from thought by Gavin’s voice, he didn’t even register what he said, all he picked up on was the confusion. When he lifted his head he was met with the sight of a house - they must have gone too far. There was neighboring property and it wasn’t uncommon for people to build out on their land. If anything the sight was a relief to Trevor.

“We must have crossed into someone else’s land. Just hope they’re not a freak hunter, I don’t wanna get shot.” A weak smile crossed his face at the quiet joke and to his surprise Gavin met his gaze and pulled his own smile. He tried to ignore the slight tremble in his lips. “They might be able to help, well if anyone’s even there. Or maybe a phone. We’ll peek and then turn around, Matt and Jer probably just veered on their way back and we missed them.” 

“Right, yeah, yeah.” It sounded like he was trying to convince himself and Trevor swore he felt his heart break a bit. With that Trevor quickened his steps slightly, putting himself next to Gav now as they headed towards the house. He kept his head on a swivel, a hand instinctively moved to brush Gavin’s lower back and as soon as he noticed he fought the urge to yank away lest he draw more attention to the action. As the distance closed Trevor swore he could hear the blood roaring in his ears, he simply brushed it off; there were enough nerves buzzing in his system to last a lifetime already.

It seemed like Trevor blinked and they were at the door. He stopped and just watched as Gavin took the last step forward and knocked; knuckles hitting only once before the door creaked open. A panicked look was shot back towards Trevor and he felt it seize his heart. Protectiveness surged up in him and he shot forwards, putting himself between Gavin and the open doorway. The only light inside the place came from windows, even that light was muted by curtains.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” Trevor stuck his head inside, body slowly leaning in until he was inside; wood creaked below his feet and he winced at the noise. “We got a little lost, we’re looking for a working phone. We’re not a threat!”

The words echoed hollowly in the dark and Trevor took that as enough of an answer, taking a few steps forward. He cast a look behind him, eyes softening as they landed on Gavin. A jerk of his head was all he needed to get Gavin to follow and soon the two crept towards a kitchen to their left, an open floorplan allowed them to see it from the door. They moved slowly and Trevor urged his eyes to adjust to the dark quicker. What he didn’t expect was the slam of the front door behind them, he couldn’t blame Gavin for his scream. In fact he was barely holding himself together and now all the light from the door was snuffed out in a mere second. For a second they stayed still, Trevor barely registered Gavin’s nails digging into his arm.

The silence was broken by footsteps, heavy and threatening. All Trevor could process was that they sounded like boots. Eyes shot around, a hallway was on their left with a set of stairs barely visible in the dark. It wasn’t ideal to move deeper into the house but it seemed like their only option for the time being. Seconds ticked by like minutes and Trevor’s hand closed tightly around Gavin’s wrist.

“Move!” When had he opened his mouth? He was pushing off the counter behind them and all but dragging Gavin as he stumbled, moving into the hallway. Swinging his arm forwards he was able to push Gavin ahead of him, almost into the stairs. At the last moment the other jumped, making it onto the second step was better than tripping on the first. Time seemed to stop as Trevor’s feet slipped as a rug skidded away from him. Palms smashed into the step and with everything he had he pushed himself up, scrambling to move up the stairs, almost crawling for a moment. Feet thudded loudly against the stairs as they threw themselves up them, Gavin slowing just slightly as he reached the top, wheezing out a cough. 

Trevor passed him, hand shooting out to grab his upper arm as he did - leaving Gavin behind wasn’t an option. They pressed into the darkness and Trevor took solace in the fact that at least they couldn’t be seen - trying to ignore that they were making too much noise to get away. Seeing the dead end approach Trevor threw open the last door, he hadn’t even processed what he saw on the windows, he just dove under the bed, hands clamped over his mouth. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do but it didn’t matter suddenly; the door rattled on its hinges as someone shoved it fully open. Trevor had been right, they were wearing boots. His stomach rolled and he fought back a gag.

“I thought I heard someone else too.” It seemed like a nonissue though, Gavin was babbling nonsense, noises soon drowned out as the door rattled shut. He heard a lock slide into place and he suppressed another gag. Gavin’s bag hit the floor and tipped over, heavy with snacks and goodies. Suddenly a scream pierced the air and Trevor found himself meeting eyes with Gavin as his head hit the carpet - the fear that resided there struck something deep inside Trevor. He didn’t notice his vision beginning to blur as tears welled. Everything seemed to move in slow motion after that, a hand came down, grabbing a fistful of Gavin’s hair and pulling him towards the bed. Suddenly there was nothing cute about the way his hair would bounce when he put off a haircut for too long.

“A shame you’re so pretty.. everyone’ll be looking for you. Just can’t pass it up though.” The words barely reached Trevor’s ears, barely anything reached him as he lay there, fingers trembled as he squeezed them into fists. Gavin’s feet disappeared as he was hauled onto the bed, all Trevor heard were muffled sobs. Waiting tore at his chest but there were feet planted right in front of him, he had to move. One foot rose, a knee on the bed causing it to creak. Soon the second one disappeared and time stood still. Rolling out from under the bed Trevor rose to his feet - it hurt him to think but at least Gavin’s sobs covered any noise he’d made. 

As his head turned it was like the room spun, squeezing tears from his eyes he willed his vision to focus on anything. There was a desk backed up to the wall, a wooden chair sat in front of it. It looked homemade, the whole place did. Hands latched on, one to the back and one along the side. It wasn’t much heavier than any type of folding chair but there was solidity to it. A solidity he could hear as he swung it, making contact smoothly. Momentum kept the chair going, it crashed into the wall before thudding against the carpet.

Blood, Trevor saw blood as he met eyes with whoever was holding Gavin down. Some of it fell over Gavin’s face as they staggered to the side. They crashed to the ground and Trevor could see Gavin once more, all he could register was the fear in those eyes as he watched his assailant fall over. Trevor knew his work wasn’t done. He blinked and it was as if he blacked out, he’d gotten to his knees and he felt the handle of the pocket knife press harshly into his hand.

A ragged scream tore the air and it took Trevor a moment to realize it was him. Opening his eyes he was met with bloodied hands, knife plunged one last time into the chest of the person who thought they could get away with hurting someone Trevor looked at in that _way_. The sight caused his hands to shake, ripping the knife away he scrambled backwards so quickly he felt like he’d get rug burn on his knees.

Nothing made sense, a warm wetness covered his hand, threatening to seep between fingers that held the knife life a lifeline. The carpet absorbed the blood greedily but it still managed to spread out, it looked as if the floor itself was bleeding. The knife made no sound as it dropped next to him. With hands free now Trevor was frantically rubbing them on the carpet, the blood that coated him just wouldn’t go away.

Trevor retched, vision swimming as he turned his head. His hands pressed against the floor, holding him up as he spat bile into the corner. The carpet was ruined anyways. All he could think about how anticlimactic it had been as he pushed off the floor and turned back in Gavin’s general direction. He laughed at that thought, arms became weaker and he doubled over, knees sore from where they hit the ground. Laughter became choked and soon he was sobbing, palm aching where he’d squeezed the blade’s handle. The body didn’t move and Trevor felt wetness drop onto his arm. Raising a hand to his face he found it was his own tears and his shoulders shook with another sob.

At least his question had been answered. He was capable of protecting Gavin.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i altered the end of the last ch slightly so jsyk if u missed that !

The dark threatened to swallow them whole, before either could fully compose themselves the sun was sinking into the trees. As the light faded Trevor finally raised his eyes, barely able to make out anything now besides the dark shape that lay a few feet in front of him. His stomach rolled again. 

“Tr-Trevor..I’m gonna..I’ll get the hall light.” The sound of soft footsteps barely reached Trevor and suddenly the light felt blinding. It wasn’t even that bright, streaming through the half open door. When he looked down his hands were shadowed enough that he couldn’t see the red - just something dark, drying and flaking. The footsteps didn’t return but the sound of a sink running cut through the quiet. A hand closed around his knife, legs trembling as he finally stood, everything felt fuzzy. By the time he stumbled to the bedroom doorway Gavin had met him halfway, gaze moving up slightly, their eyes met. There was a streak of blood over Trevor’s cheek where he’d touched his face earlier - he felt it drying against his skin. Tear tracks had cut through it, some of the diluted red had moved down his chin. Trevor had never felt more vulnerable than he did then, Gavin’s hand reaching in a way that was far more tender than Trevor thought he deserved.

Fingertips brushed against Trevor’s clean cheek and he felt tears being pushed away. When had he started crying again? The touch sent a shock through his system and his body threatened to go limp. Instead he only let his head slump, cheek pressing back against the touch as they stood in silence, eyelids giving in as they dropped. When Trevor opened his eyes it was to the sight of Gavin pulling away, taking careful steps back to the open bathroom. His legs screamed for him to stop, to collapse and _rest_ but Trevor pressed on, each step dragged as he pushed into the bathroom, Gavin to his right as they stood over the sink.

“I look like shit.” Trevor’s throat felt raw as he spoke and he bit back another sob as he turned on the sink, wincing as he left a red stain against the knob. Rising his free hand first he used its dampness the pull the red off of the knob and down the drain. As he switched hands he watched the red swirl down the drain, transfixed. He turned the knife in his hand, hoping to pull the blood from every corner of the object. As he set the blade down a small puddle formed under it, he’d have to dry it off. Not before Gavin grabbed it though, Trevor’s face twisted in confusion but he made no moves to stop him. As Trevor pushed flakes of blood off his skin and into the steady pour of water he simply watched.

Gavin grabbed a fistful of his own hair and took the knife to it leaving only about an inch in the spot. It fell to the floor silently and the process was repeated. As he worked Gavin moved to sit on the edge of the tub, hair fell around him, surrounding his feet. All Trevor could focus on was the spots of blood over the bridge of Gavin’s nose. In an effort to shake himself to his senses he lowered his face, bringing water up to his cheeks in cupped hands. Rising once more he met his own gaze in the mirror, confirming the blood was cleared from his face. Glancing down he bit the inside of his cheek and tugged off his shirt, as it hit the ground he looked at the spots of red across the chest.

“Trevor,” it pulled him from his thoughts, turning he was met with Gavin, hand holding out the knife which he took and sat back on the counter. His hands were still wet and he took a slow step closer to Gavin. As he crouched his body seemed to creak and hands cupped Gavin’s face, thumbs rubbed away the flecks of blood with more tenderness than he’d thought possible.

“Gavin,” he breathed in response, pulling his hands back and wiping them against his shorts. “I’m going to grab your bag.”

Silence fell over the bathroom as Trevor all but stumbled away, fading into the darkness of the bedroom. Whatever compelled Gavin to check his phone, he couldn’t tell you. There was one bar and his hands shook as he unlocked it. The time ached to taunt him, 8:07 pm, darkness had fallen outside, it would be too dangerous to attempt the walk back in their condition. 

**turney**

**gavino** _(thursday, 10:57 am)_ : text you later  
**turney** _(7:50 pm)_ : alright gav  
**turney** _(7:56 pm)_ : oh shit that finally went through! guess you got service again?  
**gavino** _(8:07 pm)_ : its all gone to shit truney  
**gavino** _(8:07 pm)_ : its all fukced up  
**gavino** _(8:08 pm)_ : we couldn find matt and jerem y  
**gavino** _(8:08 pm)_ : trevor saved my lif  
**turney** _(8:09 pm)_ : gav slow down   
**turney** _(8:10 pm)_ : gav im gonna call the police okay?

Of course the service would finally blink out. Trevor stood in the doorway now, setting Gavin’s bag on the ground that stretched between them. Weak steps carried him past it, Gavin stood up to meet him, both were silent as Trevor pulled him into his arms. Fingers pressed harshly into the skin of his back and he moved his head, their foreheads knocked together as they tried to get even closer. Their lips met and Trevor was aware of two things; he regretted not rinsing his mouth yet and Gavin’s lip was trembling. Neither really had been able to brush their teeth and as the smell of bile hit them they both jerked back, Gavin grabbing Trevor’s arms to steady himself. They were silent, Trevor moved to give Gavin space as he staggered towards the sink, rinsing his mouth. Before joining him Trevor leaned over to scoop up his shirt - he supposed there wasn’t _too_ much blood and he could handle it. Rattling met his ears as Gavin dug through barren cabinets, besides an abandoned travel floss there was a travel mouthwash which he quickly tore into.

Trevor wished they had better timing.

* * *

Gavin had left the bathroom almost an hour ago. He wanted to distance himself as much as he could and Trevor respected that. Guilt already hung heavy in his heart for telling him that he thought they should stay put until they had sunlight. Neither was particularly stable and as their phone batteries dipped the flashlights became less of an option. Phone. Gavin had told him that he had service for a moment and was able to text Meg, to tell her something was wrong. Looking at his own phone he picked through the texts. Nothing stood out and he was almost disappointed. Rational parts of him asked what he was expecting, everyone thought he was having the time of his life on a camping trip.

The exhausted parts of him wanted everyone to understand what he was feeling and be there to catch him. _Catch him_. Knees hit the tiled floor hard and fingernails dug into palms. What had he done? He reasoned that Gavin was in danger, he did what he had to. Anxiety bubbled in his chest and a soft gasp for air escaped him, they could have ran away. One hit would send the assailant down and they could’ve ran - couldn’t they have? What was right or wrong? What was he going to do?

Everything rushed around him and his head felt so heavy, aching, aching. Then there was nothing but a hand touching his back. His vision swam and he felt himself sink to the floor, not falling, something was supporting him, lowering him. Darkness overtook him and he simply let it. Darkness was more comforting than light reflecting off tiles, more comforting than his own face in the bathroom mirror. He sunk away into the heavy heat - was there no air conditioning? Something else finally took over and pulled him away.

He wasn’t aware of how much time had passed but he didn’t care. He returned from the dark unharmed but he wasn’t quite ready to get up. For the sake of the person he felt beneath him he opened his eyes. Gavin looked down at him, Trevor supposed his legs must be falling asleep, crossed under his head. He was resting in Gavin’s lap. The thought sent a wave of comfort through him and he let his eyes slip shut, this time he wanted to approach the darkness himself, not be dragged under.

* * *

Waking up left him on a hard tile floor with little understanding of what put him there. He reached the conclusion that he must have blacked out which was worrying in of itself but nothing could drown out the surge of fear at the absence of someone else. Legs felt heavy as he hauled himself to his feet, before slipping from the bathroom he tucked his knife into his pocket and looked to his phone. It blinked 12:46 am back at him and he let his shoulders relax. At least it hadn’t actually been too long. He couldn’t expect Gavin to sit there the whole time, he couldn’t expect anything from Gavin. He shouldn’t.

The hallway seemed much longer than it had when he’d been running for his life. He wanted to laugh, he really _had_ been running for his life. Everything you could read on the news was never personal; he always thought ‘at least it wasn’t me, right?’ and now it was him and he wished it had been anyone else. Maybe that was selfish but blood was flaking off his shirt and he swore he kept hearing the crack of wood against a skull, maybe he had a right to be selfish. More than anything he’d wished it wasn’t Gavin; his chest ached as he remembered the fear in his eyes. As he made his way down the stairs he was met with those eyes again. They were more composed but he was nervous now, the sound of Trevor’s steps making him spin around. The sight made Trevor want to cry again, his hair was a mess, uneven but short.

Instead the two were silent, there was enough to fill their heads, talking would only be exhausting. Trevor couldn’t help but think of everyone who had entered and never left this house. How close had Gavin come to being one of those people? Had close had Trevor been? Gavin was moving, Trevor’s eyes following him as he turned and headed towards the living room. Hands curled into fists, he leaned against the counter to keep his body steady - following would be prying. At least Trevor believed so, he felt like he’d seen too much of someone who barely had anything to share. There was something almost too intimate about gaining a new trauma with someone.

Once he’d waited a good half hour he straightened and started towards the living room. The only light came from the kitchen, a small light over the sink that Gavin had turned on. Long shadows cast down the short hall and spilled into the living room, Gavin was curled up on the couch. Exhaustion must have finally caught up, he was sprawled out almost like a child who had snuck downstairs to watch tv past bedtime. His arm stuck out, hanging over the edge of the couch, hand dangling from the wrist. Everything about him was a mess, clothes to hair to a bruise that had begun to form on his cheek. That must have been what sent him straight to the ground earlier.

With delicate movements Trevor shuffled ever closer to Gavin, careful to be quiet as he sunk to the ground. The floor wasn’t his first choice and there was a loveseat he could have tried to cram into but Gavin wasn’t there. From where he lay he looked up at the hand hanging off the couch above him and almost curled in on himself from the pang. It was so close but Trevor kept his distance, he couldn't imagine what a sudden touch would make Gavin feel, he didn’t want to imagine. 

* * *

Night faded to day, the dark was driven away as sunlight streamed through bay windows, barely softened by thin curtains. There was a groan from above and Trevor was very suddenly awake. Gavin’s body shifted as he fought the pull of consciousness and Trevor simply couldn’t blame him. Eyes longed to stay shut and he almost gave in, it would be so much easier. Instead, fingers rose to rub at his face, finally willing his eyes open. For a moment it was normal, the sun warmed his face and Gavin was close, it was all he could ask for - apart from the paralyzing fear that sunk deep into his bones as everything began coming back to him. He shot up, back aching from a night on the floor. Fingers gripped the material of his shorts, breathing ragged.

They had to go, they had to start walking. All Trevor wanted was for the distance to grow until he was tucked safely away at home. As far as the body, the scene, he didn’t care. It was self-defense, he had a witness, he was _innocent_. He could only hope Gavin thought the same, the noise of Trevor stirring drew his eyes open. For a minute they simply looked at each other, they seemed to do a lot of that. It was a lot easier than talking, easier than admitting every single thing that threatened to ruin them. Besides, that way he could just focus on the freckle under Gavin’s eye and pretend that there was something between them.

“We..should go, they’re probably wondering where we are if they aren’t already looking.” The sound grated on his own ears, he could do with a glass of water, a cough drop, maybe. His fingers relaxed their grip and he shifted to stand up. Before he could Gavin’s fingers reached out, brushing over his forehead, he pushed Trevor’s hair back up off his skin.

“Look like you’re in a boy band with it like that.” The laugh that tore from Trevor caught them both off guard and they tried to ignore just how _sad_ that was. As he hauled himself to his feet he caught the last few strands, brushing them up off his forehead. Behind him Gavin pulled himself off the couch, their bodies were close, close enough to reach out and touch. Gavin kept his hands to himself and Trevor tried to keep his disappointment silent. “Trevor.. let’s go, Trevor.”

That was Gavin, with his needless repetition. For a second neither moved, simply looking at the door - how could it be so easy to have cheated death? They’d wandered in and now they’d wander out. Coming to his senses Trevor took a step towards the door, as he finally opened it the sun was blinding and beautiful. A hand reached back and he steadied Gavin as they crept into the yard like a pair of newborn deer. Their palms were sweaty and the bones of their fingers pressing together uncomfortably with how hard they held on, but they were out. 

As they broke the treeline Trevor remembered Gavin’s backpack, it was funny almost, how something so small could bug him. His eyes crossed Gavin’s face and all he saw was a tired determination. Silently, Trevor hoped they would make it, well, easily at least. Neither had eaten since the previous day and while they slept a different exhaustion inhabited them. Hands hung at their sides, loosely connected now as they picked through the underbrush. They kept each other from falling as they stumbled through greenery and over logs, neither said anything about how sweat and heat built between their palms. Just as neither said a word about how nicely they fit together.

They had each other for now and they could worry about implications later.

**Author's Note:**

> dont wanna give too much away in the set up so this ch might be on the shorter side. pairings were hard for this but who doesnt love treyco plus him and gav are absolute goofs together. matt and jeremy have a potential to be romantic but i wanted to leave it for now since i already paired most of them up :~)


End file.
